"Michael" becomes first billion-dollar biopic

Despite the controversy surrounding its theatrical release, the biographical film "Michael" has surpassed $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue.

Antoine Fuqua's Michael has become the first biographical film to cross the $1 billion milestone, CE Report quotes ANSA.

The film generated $629.8 million at the international box office and $371 million in the United States. Despite behind-the-scenes controversies and criticism throughout production, Michael continued to break records and exceed expectations after its April release, fueled by strong word-of-mouth and repeat viewings. As a result, it remained one of the world's top box office performers throughout the peak summer movie season.

Among its achievements, Michael has become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, surpassing the $911 million earned by Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), the film about Freddie Mercury and Queen.

The movie has also become the highest-grossing film ever based on a real person, overtaking Oppenheimer (2023), which grossed $975 million worldwide.

The success marks a major milestone for Lionsgate, which took on the challenge of producing a film about a music icon who had faced allegations of child sexual abuse. Michael is the first Lionsgate film to surpass the $1 billion mark, exceeding the studio's previous biggest hits, including The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

Lionsgate produced the film and handled its distribution in North America, while Universal Pictures managed its international release.

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